As a preacher, I have been told that sometimes we preach the messages that we need to hear.  Recently, this got turned around a little bit, as God’s message for me was in a sermon that I wrote years ago.  It happened something like this:

            After returning from vacation, I went looking for a brief message that would be suitable for a service at a seniors’ residence.  There wasn’t time to write a new one, and the date of the service happened to be May 31st, which on the church calendar is the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.  Thankfully, I found a message from a care home service in 2009 that could be adapted.

            It was towards the end of a stressful day when I was finally able to work on putting the message into a usable format. Having many things on my mind, I wondered how I would be able to calm down enough to be able to sleep.  As it turns out, the answer was in my own message based on Luke 1:39-56.

            In that sermon written years ago, I had focused on Mary and her possible reactions to the news that the angel Gabriel had given her.  She could have worried about the reactions of her family, and especially what Joseph would think.  She could have imagined getting thrown out of the house, or even stoned to death.  She could have questioned whether conceiving by the power of the Holy Spirit was even possible.  However, rather than doing any of these things, she turns her attention to God.

            In the passage that many know as the Magnificat, Mary recounts some of the amazing things that God has done and will do in the future.  The powerful are brought down and the lowly are lifted up.  The hungry are filled with good things.  God is merciful to those who put their trust in God and is faithful in keeping promises.

            In spite of the situation in which Mary finds herself, her focus is totally and unabashedly on God – so much so, in fact, that her spirit rejoices in God her Saviour.  She is full of the Holy Spirit, and is focused on what God can and will do rather than on herself and on what challenges she will face.  The crux of the message was to learn from Mary’s humble faith and trust, focusing our attention on the God who loves us.  To do so is so much more life-giving than worrying or dwelling on our problems.

            When I realized that this was the message that I needed to hear, it was a “wow” moment, or even a “God” moment.  My message to myself was, “Remember Mary.  Remember the Holy Spirit.  Rest in God.”

            Admittedly, this is not always easy to do.  Many of us have minds that wander and that need constant reminders to look to Jesus, rely on the Holy Spirit, and focus on what God has done and will do in our lives and in our world.  After all, God is the one with the power – and not just the power, but mercy and love.

            Focusing on God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit does not make our problems go away, but it might allow us to have an attitude of quiet trust in the midst of whatever we are facing.  Even Jesus had times when he was distressed (with good reason, I might add!), but ultimately, he trusted in God’s purpose for him and always, always went to his Father in prayer.

            May God show up for each of us in unexpected ways, providing all that is needed, and causing us to marvel at the ways in which God works.

            In Christ,

            Pastor Lynne Hutchison